Strikeforce Challengers 16's Lorenz Larkin in no rush to the top

Undefeated Lorenz Larkin made one of the most impressive debuts in recent Strikeforce history when he defeated Scott Lighty at Strikeforce Challengers 15.

Even more impressive than the vicious second-round TKO was the fact that Larkin took the fight on just a week’s notice.

And though the fast-rising light heavyweight can further bolster his top-prospect status at Friday’s Showtime Challengers 16 event, the Californian told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) he’s simply enjoying the ride.

Larkin (10-0 MMA, 1-0 SF) looks for his eighth straight knockout win when he meets Gian Villante (7-2 MMA, 0-1 SF) on the Showtime-televised main card of the event, which takes place at ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash. And though a victory would make a strong case for his promotion to Strikeforce’s “Arena Series” events, Larkin isn’t too worried about it.

“As long as you do what you’re supposed to do, you’ll get the recognition you deserve,” the 24-year-old said. “I’m not in a rush. I took the slow road getting to where I’m at, and now that I’m here, I’m still in no rush.”

So where exactly is he? Wrapping up fight camp for a bout he’s long known about. However, that wasn’t the case against Lighty, who initially was scheduled to fight Japanese notable Satoshi Ishii. However, when the March earthquakes and tsunami ravaged his home country, he was forced off the April 1 card.

That opened the door for Larkin, who had little time to think about the magnitude of the opportunity.

“I’d like to say I trained real hard for that fight,” he said. “I mean, I did, but it was only a week’s notice. But that’s pretty much how I fight. It was my one chance to show the big leagues I was ready, so I just left it all out there.”

Larkin’s onslaught began from the opening bell. Kicks, punches and sprawls also worked with remarkable ease. His striking, in fact, proved most efficient. As MMAjunkie.com Radio host “Gorgeous” George Garcia surmised, Larkin really has learned to make the most of every strike. The fighter concurred.

“I credit that to my boxing background,” he said. “I felt like I knew how to threw my punches and kicks. I threw them with power but control.”

As for Friday’s opponent, Larkin is quick to mention one concern: Villante’s size. The sometimes-heavyweight engaged in (but ultimately lost) a Strikeforce heavyweight grand-prix reserve bout with Chad Griggs back in February. And while the bout sometimes was sloppy, it was entertaining, and it provided plenty of warning signs for Larkin.

“I think his striking isn’t that crisp, but his power really drives him forward,” he said. “He’s a big guy, like 6-foot-2 or something, but he’s lean. He walks around at like 230, but he’s not fat or anything. If he connects with a good punch, like anyone, you’ll go down.”

But conventional wisdom tells us Villante will try to get the fight to the ground. With his quickly improving jiu-jitsu skills, he may want to avoid Larkin’s heavy hands.

However, if that happens, don’t expect a repeat performance of the Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum snoozer from this past weekend.

“I don’t mind if it goes to the ground,” Larkin said. “I’m not scared to go the ground. I just hope it’s not like Werdum and Alistair, where he’s begging for me to come down there.”

And if he does?

“I’ll going to try to knock his kneecaps off,” he said. “I’ll put the pressure on.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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